Douglas Laird
Douglas has worked in every type of library service there is over the last 30 years: schools, colleges, government, corporate, public and - the last refuge of the scoundrel - as a freelance consultant in knowledge management. For the past seven years he has worked for Birmingham Central Library, promoting Business Insight, and is currently working on transforming library services for the new £193 million Library of Birmingham. He believes in proactive services providing enterprise, creativity and learning, placing libraries at the heart of the cultural and knowledge economy, utilising web technology to deliver ever wider services, and the knowledge hub concept.
Douglas.Laird@birmingham.gov.uk
Articles by Douglas Laird:
Business Insight: BestForBusiness
Thursday, 21st May 2009
With 'only' ninety years as Birmingham Central Library's business information system, Business Insight is still finding ways to stay relevant. During the current economic crisis, that means the creation and launch of BestForBusiness, a new business trading platform that works as an online and physical service for every business, individual or organisation in the UK. Douglas Laird explains the components and benefits of BestForBusiness, as well as his ambitious plans for the platform's growth.
Business Insight: BestForBusiness [ABSTRACT]
Thursday, 21st May 2009
With 'only' ninety years as Birmingham Central Library's business information system, Business Insight is still finding ways to stay relevant. During the current economic crisis, that means the creation and launch of BestForBusiness, a new business trading platform that works as an online and physical service for every business, individual or organisation in the UK. Douglas Laird explains the components and benefits of BestForBusiness, as well as his ambitious plans for the platform's growth.
Register for our next Community session:
AI use cases
22nd September 2026
Latest on our YouTube channel:
Read on the Blog:
July 2026 update
1st July 2026
- Content and AI – key findings from Jinfo's recent research
21st July 2026 - Vendors and AI – integration is creating a new opportunity for aggregators
9th July 2026 - July 2026 update
1st July 2026
- From AI use cases to implementation (Community) 22nd October 2026
- AI use cases (Community) 22nd September 2026
- Stakeholder value and AI: Workshop (Community) 16th July 2026